Solstice
by oathk33p3r
Summary: Only the sun kept them apart. [Sora x Kairi]
1. Prologue

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

**_S_**olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** No, it's already obvious that I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing my so called stories here, would I?

OK. So this is what...story number 9? Maybe. So far, I haven't been satisfied with any of my "stories" and I bet this will be no different. But I promise you, I'll try my BEST to make it seem an ok fiction to read and try not to make it too boring. The idea of having Sora as a vampire was based off of the novel _The Silver Kiss. _I don't remember the author's name, but it was a pretty boring story with no plot about a vampire loving a human. Wella, hope you enjoy this! Oh yeah, and it might be annoying how I'm focusing on Kairi then Sora, but you'll get used to it.

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Sora

* * *

-- - - Prologue - --

_+ It's summer+  
but it still feels like winter._

* * *

_-Kairi-_

It was summer. No, it was _finally _summer.

The thought made Kairi feel ever so much lighter. This meant no more studying for annoying tests, procrastinating useless homework, and sucking up to teachers. She stretched her arms towards the cloudless sky and plopped down on the grass, startling a lone butterfly as she did so. A small smile played on her lips and the wild flowers sprouting on the island tickled her cheeks. A soft wind whistled through the grass and ruffled the teen's auburn hair. She couldn't help but let out a giggle as she brushed the strands out of her eyes.

The trees seemed to lean in towards her and wave. Kairi frowned. They all looked identical to each other, which was something she _hated._ How can anyone or anything stand looking exactly like another being in the world?

Taking her eyes off the boring looking trees, Kairi spotted the Paopou tree. The smile plastered across her face once more. It was quite different from other everyday foliage; it was a squat palm with a trunk that intertwined with another of its own kind. Yes, the two looked symmetrical to each other but they looked like one tree with a twisted trunk, almost as if they were holding hands.

"How romantic," Kairi thought.

Satisfied, Kairi let out a deep sigh and gazed beyond the waving leaves of the identical trees surrounding her. Her eyes met the sun and she blinked as the rays burned her eyes. It was painful, but she continued to fight against it.

The warmth. It felt so _peaceful_ and welcoming. She reached out her arm to its full extent and traced the blazing ball of gas.

"Corona," Kairi whispered to herself.

Surprised, the girl violently shook her head as if something unpleasant was crawling on her scalp. _Corona? Why the heck am I thinking of science right now?_ Kairi fully understood why schools needed a break now; students would become total nerds if they didn't.

Letting out another peal of laughter, Kairi rolled on the moist, green grass as she took in the sweet scent of salty air.

"So sweet."

+**Sora**+

Ugh, summer; the worst time of the year. Couldn't it come every century or so?

Sora scowled as he slunk back on the trunk of a sad looking, twisted tree. His pale skin glowed under the shade it provided, but it wasn't enough to block off the painful rays of the sun. His left arm was burned badly and the dark clothing that draped his body made it worse. Annoyed, sweaty, and sticky, Sora pulled at the collar of his shirt with his gloved hands. He let out a deep sigh and allowed his heavy eyelids to cover his eyes.

The fire. He was still able to smell the retching smell of smoke. The flames, roaring in his ears, had frightened him. Never had he been so scared. The burning fire looked like a million hands reaching for him, trying to strip him to the flesh and not leave him alone until he was nothing but ash.

His home, his haven, his _life_-it was all gone. What was all his was taken away from him in a second, and now there was no where he can go.

A stray wind picked up suddenly and ruffled Sora's chocolate spikes. His sapphire eyes widened as he took a whiff of the scent mixed in it.

Warm flesh.

Sora's mouth watered and felt his fangs slide out of their sheaths. Following the heavenly smell, he cautiously peered over his shoulder and scanned the area.

Not far away was a human. A female human.

He narrowed his eyes at the sun in disgust and turned away from it.

Now that he knew there was a human lingering around, his nerves were more alert and his stomach churned with vacancy. But how can he reach her? It was broad daylight.

His stomach empty and his arm burning, he pulled his limbs closer to his chest and leaned against the trunk of the tree again with self-pity.

"So sweet."


	2. Bike

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

**_S_**olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** No, it's already obvious that I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing my so-called stories here, would I?

**YAY!** Chapter two if finally here! I'm sorry I couldn't update…writer's block. Nothing much to say… Happy summer?

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Mr. Narumi  
-Sora

* * *

-- - - Chapter One - --

_+In winter, here you stay+  
But summer melts you away._

* * *

_-Kairi-_

_Be-beep, be-beep, be-beep._

"Ngh?" Kairi squeezed her eyes tighter and felt around for her covers. Not being able to find the thin, yellow, blanket, she forced her left eye to open and found it on the carpeted floor.

Letting out a groan, she reached for the corner of it and pulled it over her body.

_Be-beep, be-beep, be-beep._

"Gosh, that darn alarm clock." Kairi muttered to herself as she tapped the button on the screeching time teller. The glowing green numbers read, '6:02'.

She kicked off the blankets again, slid off her bed and stripped her sticky night clothes off.

Sunlight poured into the open window and lit the four corners of her small bedroom. It wasn't like any other typical teenager's room. Most would describe their room as "messy and disorganized" or "different". That's how Kairi Narumi would've answered if somebody asked for a brief description of her room, but that was only _her_ opinion. On her left-hand side was a bright painting of the beach; tiny, pink seashells peppered the sand, and there was a small sail boat in the distance. Adjacent to the left wall was an emerald field with yellow butterflies nestling in the unique, blue flowers. And on the right of her was a painting of the sky. The massive, cumulus clouds were so life-like that one would expect it to drift out of the painting and sprinkle June rain on them. But it wasn't the clouds that would've taken one's breath away; it was the sun. So bright, yet so lonely it looked in the corner of the wall. The giant ball of gas seemed as if it wanted to want to shed all its light to the world until it had no more to spare. It was as if it wanted to collapse and die, crushing the corrupted world. The rays looked _tired_ and pale; as if it was getting too old. That's how Kairi wanted it.

Finally, behind Kairi's bed post was an empty, white wall. She hadn't decided what to paint yet; but there was a barely-visible sketching of what seemed to be a midnight scenery. How to make it look not so _drab_ was what caused Kairi to stop sketching it a month ago.

Letting out a loud groan that the whole neighborhood can hear, Kairi slumped her way towards her school uniform. She was pulling it out of the drawer when she realized it was summer vacation. Her eyes clear and bright, she smiled and stuffed her uniform back into her chestnut-brown dresser.

Yawning between giggles, she pulled a cottony, white shirt over her head and pulled a pair of short shorts up to her petit waist. Still smiling, she grabbed she practically flew to the kitchen and hugged her father around his middle.

"GOOD MORNING, DADDY!" Kairi squealed.

Startled, her father turned around and returned his daughter's grin. He was holding a spatula in one hand and the strings of his frilly apron on the other.

"Good morning, dear. Would you tie this for me? My back is being a bit stubborn today," He asked as he handed the limp strings to his daughter's outstretched fingers.

"Thanks," He murmured as he went on frying the eggs.

Kairi nimbly tied her father's apron. Just a year ago, she had been doing the same for her mother. She couldn't believe time went by so fast. Wiping a tear out of her eye, she peered over her father's shoulder to see what he was doing.

"Eggs and steak?" Kairi asked as she poked one of the yellow yolks with her finger.

She quickly drew her hand back as she felt the horrible burning sensation.

"Ow," Kairi whimpered as she sucked on her index finger.

"Why did you do that?" Her father asked, amused.

Kairi smiled up at her father with tears of pain in her eyes. His were an electric blue and laughing. Wrinkles around them indicated age and laughter.

"I wanted to see how hot it was," Kairi admitted as she went towards the dishes to set the table.

Only she and her father lived in the small house. It used to be a family of three until her mother had passed away of a heart disease. Life was difficult, but her father was a determined man and did his best to raise his small family. But it was Kairi who was more like the "man of the house". Her father had suffered from spine trouble since a month ago and had to quit his job. His neck was swollen that one day he came home from work. Blood was dripping down the side of his neck as well. He said it was from a "falling hammer", him being a constructor. But she didn't believe him; it looked more like a rat bite to her. Now, it was up to Kairi to bring money home from her part-time job at the local flower shop down the street.

After eating a quick breakfast, Kairi washed up and changed into her florist uniform. Pecking her father's forehead, she grabbed her bike and quickly pedaled down the street to the small flower shop.

The summer breeze felt great upon her face as she whizzed by the early morning strollers. She closed her eyes and smiled; the salty air smelled ever so sweet. By the time Kairi realized she couldn't see where she was going, it was too late.

She snapped her eyes open as she saw her bicycle a good three feet away from her. Underneath her bike was a boy...

**+Sora+**

_Doo dee doo dee, whiirp, whiirp, beep beep beep beep._

Sora snapped his eyes open as the alarm of a near by car went off. Groaning, he plugged his ears with his finger and edged his way further back beneath the dumpster. The annoying shrill of the alarm echoed through the empty streets for what seemed like an eternity. An old, withered man with a shaking head finally came out of one of the houses in an organized row and turned it off. Sora closed his eyes and let out sigh, which only blew dust up his nose.

Coughing a fit, he tried to make himself comfortable in his new home. He had lost his old one just yesterday when some high school kids decided to have fun and burned it down. Sure, it was only an abandoned school with all its contents either destroyed or stolen by some low-life brigand, but it was still his home. All his precious belongings were burnt to ash as well. All he had now was the clothes he had on his back and 19 munny he had in his boot. Of course, he had his silver necklace that never left his neck with him as well, but it was considered a part of him so it never qualified as a "personal belonging".

Sora waited for sleep to possess him again, but another irritating sound reached his ears. But this time, it was bearable to him. Sora intently waited as he heard the street rat scurrying around and stuffing crumbs into its cheek pouches. Soon, it was so close that Sora was able to hear its tiny heart pumping blood into its veins. Instinctively, his fangs slid out as the rat got closer and closer. Before the rat was able to notice that it had company, Sora swiftly grabbed it with his hand and sunk his fangs into its middle. It didn't even let out a squeal.

It seemed cruel and unfair, but that was the only way Sora was able to feed the hunger that pained him every night. He sucked on the rat deeply until it was stiff and dry. Being a rather polite person, he wrapped the dead rat with a used napkin near by and closed his eyes as he whispered a quick prayer:

_Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for murdering one of your creatures in such a cruel and painful way. But you must understand this curse I am bearing; this curse that has no cure, this curse that had killed and torn me apart. Please, forgive my sin and may this critter rest in peace. Amen._

Sora opened his eyes and buried the rat in a hastily dug hole. He laughed at the thought that he was what humans called a "vampire" and a devote Catholic as well. But a curse wouldn't tear him away from the Lord. After all, he _was_ studying to become a priest before this dilemma.

The hunger lighter and his eyelids heavier, Sora rested his head on the base of his arm and drifted off to sleep.

Only a few hours passed when the horrible rays of the sun grabbed at Sora and nudged him awake. His skin burning like the fires of Hell, he hissed and quickly scrambled out of his home. He had to find a darker place, and quick.

By the position of the sun, Sora was able to tell that it was early morning. Luckily, not many humans were roaming around. Who would? He pulled the hood of his jacket over his spiky locks to shade his face. He glanced around and found a store just across the street. Surprisingly, it was open. Running at full speed, he crossed the street-well, _almost _did.

In mid-run, he felt an enormous pain on his side as he was sent to the floor and slid across the gravel. Wincing, he looked up to see a bike lying on top of him. A few feet away was a human girl...

* * *


	3. Vampire

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

**_S_**olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** No, it's already obvious that I do not own any of these characters. Sora has a British accent by the way. I just that it'll be weird mentioning England in Destiny Islands.

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Sora  
-Selphie

* * *

-- - - Chapter Two - --

_+In the morning I'll be your shadow+  
But at night I won't be there to follow._

* * *

_+Kairi_&**Sora**_-  
_

Kairi swallowed a gasp as she eyed the boy struggling under her silver bike. He was so _beautiful_. Despite the hood covering most of the upper part of his face, she was able to make out his features; he had creamy pale skin that she can practically see through and possessed bright blue eyes that peered from the shadows of his chocolaty hair.

She was so focused on the beautiful person that she didn't notice he had difficulty getting up.

"Oh dear, I'm extremely sorry," Kairi nearly squealed as she rushed over to him.

"It's quite all right," he replied with a voice as smooth as the surface of a river.

Kairi blinked at his accent; it wasn't from around here. It wasn't heavy and not very noticeable, but it was there. It made him even more attractive and she didn't mind it at all.

The two worked together to untangle the boy's feet from the chain. Sweating a bit, Kairi heaved the bike off of the brunette and kicked the kick stand. She faced the boy and gave him one of her biggest, dazzling smiles.

"I've never seen you around here. May I ask you your name?" She asked politely.

Sora looked nervously at the sky and turned back to her, shuffling his feet with anticipation; he _had_ to get into that shop before he burned to the ground, and the sweet scent coming from the girl only made his fangs poke through his gums. He hid his mouth with his arm and replied:

"It's Sora."

He headed towards the flower shop looming over them as soon as the last syllable of his name left his lips. He hoped his dead heart out that the uniform she was wearing wasn't for this place.

Sora burst into the small flower shop. The sight of it took his breath away; there were flowers with pedals like silk and vines that seemed to dominate the whole shop. There were only one or two of them he was able to identify, and he's been living for nearly three hundred years.

He slightly jumped when he saw the girl behind the counter looking at him quite seductively.

"May I help you?" she asked as she batted her darkened eyelashes.

"No, thank you," he replied.

He quickly made his way to the back of the shop, looking for a way to hide from customers until night fell. To his delight, he found what seemed like a broom closet. He turned the doorknob and pushed himself in. Darkness met him right away and enveloped his body from the rest of the bright world. As he made him self comfortable in the corner, he was amused to hear scratching and clawing from a nest of rats.

Kairi frowned as she started towards the shop. Could it be that he was meeting Selphie?

"_No, she would've been squealing her head off about him if she was dating him," _Kairi reassured herself.

Fixing up her mussed up hair, she walked her bike to the side of the door of the small flower shop. It was probably the only one on the island; there might've been one or two more on the other side, but Kairi didn't know of any others.

"Good morning, Selphie," Kairi greeted her friend as soon as she walked through the glass door.

A whiff of cold, icy air greeted her like always. Kairi searched the place without craning her neck about, afraid that it might be conspicuous to Selphie; she had bloated the other day that she didn't care for guys anymore.

Her friend looked up from behind the counter and her emerald eyes widened in delight. She nearly flew to her and grabbed her hand, shaking it up and down.

"Oh, my gosh, there's this totally cute guy at our shop. _Our_ shop!" Selphie piped.

Kairi gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, I saw him from outside…I kinda ran over him," Kairi said, scratching the back of her head.

"_What?_ Well, shouldn't you check up on him just in case he's hurt?_"_

Kairi's eyes widened. Why couldn't she have thought of that earlier? Now that she thought of it, she hadn't even asked him if he was all right. How stupid she must've looked, asking for his name as soon as he got up from being ran over by a vehicle driven by a complete stranger.

"Ugh, why am I like this?" Kairi scolded her self as she sat down on a large smooth rock used to decorate gardens.

Selphie peered at her with her bright green eyes and shook her head. Letting out a deep sigh, she sat by her auburn haired friend and put an arm around her.

"Honey, about what you said yesterday…I know that was a lie," Selphie said maternally.

Kairi gave her an amused look.

"Oh?"

"And you need to get this guy. I'm serious," Selphie said defiantly.

Kairi raised a brow. This was somewhat different from the everyday Selphie.

"You don't want him?"

Selphie's fake eyelashes batted with surprise and she let out a gasp.

"Of course I do! But he's not my style, and he's totally yours! I mean, your eyes are _almost_ blue and his are just wow blue. That totally balances each other out. And your hair is red and his is brown. That's so cute, isn't it? I mean, I'm a brunette and so is he…and my eyes are green and his are blue. Now that I think of it, we don't look so bad together either," Selphie said dreamily.

Kairi rolled her eyes and smiled. Now _this_ was the usual Selphie. She always seemed to judge couples by the color of their hair and eyes. Kairi thought it was stupid, but Selphie was an artist after all. Both of them were raising money to go to the famous school for artists on the other side of the island after graduating college.

The auburn haired girl sighed and looked down at her lap. She was surprised to see a scrape on her knee.

Selphie looked down as well and gasped.

"Hey! You're bleeding!" Selphie screamed, nearly hyperventilating.

"Whatever, I'll go put a bandage on it, and _you_ should be watering the plants right now," Kairi said, standing up.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to look for the first aid kit," Kairi replied.

Shaking her head, Kairi went for the back of the shop where they had the closet of broken flower pots and other junk. She couldn't help but eyeing every corner of the shop looking for Sora. The flower shop wasn't that big of a place, but its exotic and colorful plants and flowers made it like a miniature jungle.

Not being able to spot him, she made her way to the closet and pulled on the door knob.

Kairi nearly let out a scream as Sora's eyes met hers, something gleaming crimson dripping from his mouth. He instantly hid something red and furry behind his back.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked.

"Um, I was looking for the bathroom," Sora said hesitantly.

"And what's that on your mouth?" Kairi asked, taking a step away.

Sora cursed under his breath and licked the blood on his lower lip.

"Um, well, I uh-was trying to eat a hot dog and I wanted to find a bathroom so I can eat it. You know, I thought this place didn't allow food."

"_You are a mastermind, Sora," _Sora thought, pleased with his excuse.

Kairi raised a brow. She started to have a second opinion on this guy, and where in the world can you find a hairy hot dog?

"Well, I have to get something, so if you'll excuse me…" Kairi made her way behind Sora and tried to get to the back of the closet.

Sora swiftly hid the dead rat under his jacket and continued to smile at the girl.

That's when she screamed.

"Oh my gosh! Your teeth! What's wrong with your teeth?" Kairi pointed at Sora's fangs and backed away.

Sora quickly covered his mouth with his hands, which were also covered with blood. Kairi saw this and let out another scream.

"Selphie! Hel-mmph,"

Sora covered Kairi's mouth with his gloved hands and pulled her to his chest. The stiff, dead rat fell onto the floor with a small thump. Kairi only stared at it, horrified.

"Please lower your voice, miss," Sora whispered.

Kairi, disgusted, pulled Sora's hands away from her face and quickly washed the cold blood from her face.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I'm Sora," Sora replied.

"No, _what_ are you?" Kairi revised her question.

"I'm a person, just like you."

"No you're not. People don't eat rats and have fangs."

Sora's face fell and he stared at the ground. This was the first time he has been caught in one of those "sticky situations". Excuses weren't going to pull him out of this one. Maybe he can tell her the truth…

Kairi let out the hundredth gasp of the day.

"Are you a _vampire?_"

Sora gave her a blank stare. This wasn't what he expected.

"You're a vampire!" Kairi screamed.

She made a cross with her fingers and shook it in front of Sora's face.

"Be gone, you fiend!" she yelled.

Kairi's heart was thumping so loud that she was afraid that Sora might hear it. If he really was a vampire, he would be afraid of crosses…right?

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

Kairi gave Sora the same blank stare he gave her just a second ago as he rolled on the floor with laughter. Why was he laughing?

"You are hilarious," Sora choked out, "AMEN!" he added.

He started to laugh even harder.

Kairi's arms slowly fell to her sides and she was able to concentrate again. Now that she took a second look at Sora's mouth, he didn't have any fangs at all.

He wasn't a vampire after all. But did that mean he liked eating rats, or what?

Kairi crouched on the floor and covered her face in embarrassment.

"_Great, I made a complete fool out of myself."_

Sora's laughter ceased and he started to gulp for air, his abs aching. He peered over her shoulder to see the girl sitting in the corner. He let out a silent sigh of relief.

"_Thank Lord, she didn't find out."_


	4. Kalri

- - - -o- - - -

**_S_**olstice

- - - -o- - - -

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** No, it's already obvious that I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing my so called stories here, would I?

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Selphie  
-Albino stranger  
-Sora

* * *

- - - Chapter Three - -

_+I want to finish this couplet+  
Before you vanish into the sunset._

* * *

_-Kairi-_

The sky began to darken beyond the glass windows of the small flower shop. Business was getting slow these days, and Kairi felt overwhelmed and tired.

That guy named Sora. She had called him a vampire, a fictional character. How can she call a complete stranger a _vampire_ of all things?

Kairi shook her head, her hair falling over her face.

"Kairi," a voice called her.

The girl looked up, her eyes clouded with thoughts.

"Yeah?" she answered as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"I have to go a bit early today, sorry. I'll make it up to you later," Selphie said as she gathered her belongings. She had already taken off her florist uniform.

"What? NO! Don't leave me, _please,_" Kairi pleaded. She nervously eyed the back of the flower shop, afraid that Sora would pop out any second saying "SHE'S CRAZY!".

Selphie rolled her eyes and gave Kairi a weird look.

"Kairi, I'm only leaving thirty minutes earlier."

Kairi looked up at the clock covered by a small palm tree and a few vines hanging from the ceiling.

It was five thirty.

"Oh," Kairi said quietly.

"My mom went on the business trip I told you about and my dad's the usual drunken idiot. I have to pick up my brothers and sisters from the daycare center," Selphie said.

"Right, right," Kairi said as she recalled the discussion about Selphie's family the other day.

"'K then, see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Selphie pulled the straps of her purse up to her left shoulder and walked towards the exit. She stopped before she got it opened all the way and looked back at Kairi.

"Say, remember that hot guy I told you about?"

"Um, yeah," Kairi said, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"I don't think I saw him leave, did you?"

Kairi shook her head, and then immediately nodded.

"Yeah, I saw him leave! It was when you had to take care of a customer!"

Selphie took a step back and gave Kairi another strange look.

"Kairi, you should leave with me. I doubt anybody wants flowers right now," Selphie suggested.

Kairi leaned against the polka dotted wall and let out a sigh. She felt tired and wanted to go home this instant.

"It's okay, Selph. I'll stay here," Kairi said finally.

"You sure?"

Kairi nodded and smiled.

Her friend gave her one more worried glance and finally left the store.

Kairi looked back at the clock: 6:35.

Why wasn't Sora coming out of that closet? It was because of _him_ she had to stay. Twice she had tried to check up on him, but both times failed.

She was attempting to go for a third try when the glass door opened and a customer walked in.

"Hello, welcome to Flowers for Destiny," Kairi said dully.

The customer ignored her and scanned the flower shop with piercing blue eyes behind blonde bangs, which was covered with a black beanie. He almost looked albino, which Kairi assumed he was. He was draped in all black, just like Sora. He had a dark T-shirt without any designs that was worn behind an ebony trench coat. The coat reached all the way down to his converse shoes, which were also black. Kairi found his pants most interesting; pockets and zippers everywhere. It seemed as though this guy had all the things he needed to live with in his black pants.

Kairi raised a brow. Was black the new trend again? She heard people were going retro, but black on a summer day was too much.

The albino finally shook his head and looked at Kairi. He smiled without showing his teeth.

"I'm sorry, miss. I was just looking for someone," he said with a voice even smoother than Sora's.

He turned and exited the shop. Kairi swore she heard him whisper "I found you, brother", not to mention he had an accent too. It wasn't as strong as Sora's though…

Why was she comparing everything with Sora? Which reminded her…

She looked up at the clock. Ten minutes till closing time and Sora was _still_ cramped in that closet doing who knows what.

Furious, Kairi finally stomped through the flowers and trees and to the back of the shop. She tried to open the door, but it was jammed.

"What the—HEY! Open up!" Kairi shouted. She banged the door with her fists and gave it a kick.

No answer.

Seeing that punching and kicking didn't work, Kairi stopped and pressed her left ear to the door.

She heard soft snoring.

Annoyed, Kairi started to pound on the door again.

"Wake up! The store is closing soon! WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!" Kairi shouted even louder.

The snore obnoxiously got louder.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" she mumbled.

After a few more seconds of silence, she screamed:

"Oh my gosh! FIRE! AHHH! THE PLANTS ARE ON FIRE!"

She forced her self not to laugh as she heard a muffled yelp. She heard pots falling from the shelves and something being removed from behind the door. Kairi stepped aside as Sora banged the door open and frantically looked around the place. She immediately shut the door behind him.

"Ha ha. Gotchya."

+**Sora**+

Sora wiped the blood from his lips as he placed the fifth rat of the day in the broken flower pot next to him. He whispered another prayer and hid his stash of dead rats behind a row of water cans.

He let out a content sigh and patted his abs; he hadn't eaten this much in years. He closed his eyes and leaned on a bag of fertilizer. He estimated that he's been trapped in this closet for about eleven hours.

"I'm bored," he announced.

Obviously, nothing answered him, but he was used to it. He didn't have any friends. It was dangerous. Finally, he started looking through his pockets and pulled out random objects:

A rosary, a rock, a piece of string, and another rock.

Why in the world did he carry a rock around?

He aimed for a pot and chucked the rocks into it. He pocketed the rosary and ignored the string.

Still bored, the vampire pulled off his left boot and poured out nineteen orbs shining dully with yellow and blue.

"Nineteen munny."

Nineteen munny was enough to buy a horse back then. These days, it was barely enough to buy a flower. He had been looking around the closet and gasped at the old price tags.

He had even risked looking around the market down the street four nights ago. The meat was outrageously expensive. It was probably because there weren't a lot of domesticated animals on this puny island; only fish and more fish.

Sora's shoulders sagged and he dropped each yellow orb into his boot one by one. They were probably one of the first munny to be manufactured.

"Radiant Garden," he mumbled.

He was referring to his homeland. It had changed a great deal, of course, and he's been banished from that world for nearly two centuries. But that didn't mean he missed it. He closed his eyes as he remembered the angry mob of farmers and villagers. They had blamed him and his kind that they sucked the blood out of their livestock. They also blamed them for taking the lives of their wives and daughters. This wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't a lie either.

It was his twin brother's doings. He occasionally charmed a woman when he was tired of pigs and cows. He lured her into dark corners of the street and made love to her, only to sink his fangs into her neck afterwards, and suck all the blood from her body to leave her dry and dead.

The brunette had only lived off of small creatures. He couldn't bring himself to biting a human's neck. Of course, he was tempted to do so several times.

Ugh, just the thought about his brother filled his nostrils with his scent; it was vivid and clear too.

He drained all thoughts about his brother and in a few minutes, the air cleared and only the usual smell of rats filled the closet.

Suddenly, the door started to shake. The broom he had wedged under the door knob seemed to be working.

Sora rolled his eyes as the girl started to scream and bang the door. He closed his eyes and made a soft snoring noise. He started to snore even louder as the girl told him to wake up.

Finally, the banging stopped and the girl stopped shouting. Smiling, Sora got up into a sitting position and was in the act of unbuckling his boots. He was intending to spend the night here.

"Oh, my gosh! Fire! Ahh! The plants are on fire!"

Sora yelped in surprise as his cold heart skipped a beat. A fire? Not again…

He quickly got up and accidentally knocked a pot with his elbow. It hit the floor and broke into pieces by his feet. He swiftly stepped over them and removed the broom from under the door knob.

He didn't want to be entrapped by fire again.

Sora pulled the door open and blinked at the bright light flooding the closet. He looked around the small shop. The plants were as green as ever. There wasn't a single flame in sight. He angrily looked at the girl.

"You lied to me."

+_Kairi_&**Sora-**

Kairi nodded.

"Yes I did."

"Don't you _ever_ call fire again."

"Not even if there's a real one?"

"Ooooh, don't get smart with me, young lady."

"Ah ha ha, and how much older are you? Two months?"

Sora remained silent.

"Um, how old are you?" Sora asked.

"Thirty," Kairi lied.

"_Thirty? Humans have evolved quite a bit…"_ Sora thought.

"Well, I'm thirty-two," Sora said confidently.

Kairi stifled a laugh.

"Very funny," Kairi said sarcastically.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sora asked nervously.

"How can you be thirty-two with that height? I don't think you even finished puberty yet."

Sora flushed with embarrassment and anger. This human had tricked him twice.

"I was just yanking your chain," he finally said.

"_Yanking your chain? Did people even _say_ that these days?" _Kairi thought.

"Fine, I'm seventeen. Would you _please_ get out now?"

"Seventeen? Ha! I'm eighteen," Sora announced. Actually, he was probably a bit younger than that before he got cursed, but eighteen worked.

"That's very nice. Just get out please."

Kairi grabbed Sora by his arm and pulled him through the vines and other plants.

"Look here, uh—"

Sora searched for the girl's name tag.

'Hello, my name is Kalri'

What was wrong with this girl's writing? He couldn't distinguish the l's from the i's.

"—Kalri," Sora finished.

Kairi stopped and turned around.

"What did you call me? Calorie?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, Kalri. Stop pulling my arm," Sora commanded.

Kairi let go of Sora and stared hard at him.

"Where'd you get the name Calorie?"

Sora pointed at her name tag, confused.

"Your name tag on your uniform says "Hello, my name is Kalri"."

Kairi looked down at her uniform and smiled.

"It's _Kairi_. That l is really an i," she said.

Sora looked closer at the name tag. He realized that he missed the dot over the first i.

"Oh, my mistake. Please accept my apologies, Kairi."

Kairi blinked. He was such a…gentleman. She didn't know guys like Sora still existed.

"Um, well. I forgive you," Kairi said uncertainly.

"_Man, this guy makes you say the weirdest things." _Kairi thought. It was normally "sorry" and "it's okay".

She shook her head and faced Sora again. A weird stench was coming form him. It smelled like fertilizer. She forced her self not to smile as she gave him a demanding look.

"Well, it's closing time so you'll have to leave," Kairi said.

Sora gave a small nod and looked down at his shoes. After being able to spread out his legs and sit up properly in a dark corner the entire day, he felt a great reluctance to go back under the dumpster.

He thanked the girl and walked out of the small shop. Half of the sun was hidden by the vast sea. Sora pulled the hood over his head again and quickly ran towards the dumpster across the street. He crawled under it and frowned.

Nothing was going right.


	5. Raw Meat

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

**_S_**olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** No.

**Wow.** I haven't updated forever. I'm terribly sorry...I'll try making it up by posting at least three more chapters by the end of this month.

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Sora

* * *

-- - - Chapter Four - --

_+She was the feeder+_

* * *

_-Kairi-_

_Shoot shoot shoot_.

Kairi dashed down the stairs, two at a time, as she buttoned up her uniform. She had overslept, which was pretty rare for her.

She burst into the kitchen and was surprised when the usual warmth didn't greet her. The girl's shoulders sagged in disappointment when she realized her father's absence, which probably explained the cold. Letting a sigh escape her lips, she grabbed the brown, paper bag on the counter. She arched a brow when she realized that her lunch wasn't warm either.

Why was it so cold today?

Shaking her head, Kairi tucked the bag under her arm and slammed out the door, climbing onto her bike as soon as she got her hands on it.

As she rode her bike, her eyes slowly closed and thought of yesterday night. Now she remembered why she had woken up so late; she couldn't sleep.

Sora…his beautiful face wouldn't leave her alone. The way he walked, talked, and even blinked. It was all so graceful.

But it wasn't his appearance that bothered Kairi. It was just the fact that he was so _pale_. This was an island, which meant a lot of sun and water. People didn't walk around with faces as white as his.

Kairi let out a pleasant sigh when she started fantasizing about his eyes.

They were crystal clear, as if he was able to mirror anything anybody did and see what was behind it.

The girl shuddered and realized that her legs had pedaled her to the flower shop without her aid.

She swiftly got off the bike, her lunch still tucked in her arm. She fumbled for the keys and gasped when she dropped it.

But it didn't touch the floor; it didn't even have the chance. A gloved hand placed the keys into her hands.

Kairi looked up and her eyes widened. She nearly hyperventilated.

"Good morning, Kairi," Sora greeted with a smile.

**+Sora+**

As silent as a shadow, Sora hid behind the tree he had been leaning on and glared at the door, knowing exactly who was going to come out.

A few seconds later, the door to the house fumbled open and the man he had been waiting for came out. He was grasping his shoulder in pain as he walked over to his car with some difficulty. A gentle wind carried his scent over to Sora. He breathed deeply, his nose flaring. Yes, that was the one. It was him.

He eyed the car until it disappeared. As soon as it rounded the corner, Sora took long strides towards the house door. The man had left it unlocked. He was ready to turn it when his nose caught an awfully familiar scent.

It was mixed with the aroma of a hundred flowers with a blend of the sweetest blood he had ever smelled.

His sapphire eyes widened.

"No, it can't be," Sora gasped.

His dead, cold heart seemed to beat a hundred times a second as he sniffed the door again. He was positively sure; _she _lived here.

Shaking his head, Sora managed to hide himself in the shadows. A few moments later, the girl named Kairi busted out of the door and jumped onto her bike.

Hands trembling, Sora easily caught up to the girl and outran her. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't see him, thankfully.

He darted through the early morning strollers and the occasional car until he came in sight of the flower shop. He slowed down to a stop and waited by the door, the shadow of the building protecting him from the sun and wandering eyes.

The girl was pedaling painfully slow, but she finally showed up and started towards the door, oblivious to his presence.

Sora stood near her, breathing in her scent, just to make sure. Before he was able to take another whiff, he heard her gasp as she dropped her keys. Sora gracefully caught it and handed it to the girl. She took one look at him and looked as though she was going to pass out.

"Good Morning," he said with a smile.

_+Kairi_&**Sora**_-_

"Um, good morning," she mumbled as she finally pushed open the door to the shop.

Sora raised a brow. She seemed so much more…_tentative _than yesterday. She had been sarcastic and rather cold to him just the other day.

"Strange," Sora breathed.

"What was that?" Kairi snapped automatically.

Sora took a step back, surprised. He blinked, then smiled.

Kairi seemed surprised with herself as well. She slightly shook her head and her eyes were strong again.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

Sora looked behind his shoulders then back at the girl standing in front of him.

"Me? Should I need a reason to be here?"

"Well, yeah. 'Cause you don't follow someone around first thing in the morning for no reason," she retorted.

The brunette blinked, then smiled again, irritating Kairi even more.

_He's so beautiful…_

"I just wanted to keep you company," Sora admitted. It was half true.

"I don't _need _your company; especially when you hide yourself in _my_ store all day long."

Sora's smile instantly disappeared and his brows knitted together.

"Hey, Kairi. That was only because…" Sora trailed off.

"What? 'Cause of what?"

The tinkling of bells at the door saved the boy as Kairi ran off to greet the first customer of the day.

Sora ran a hand through his brown locks and strolled deeper into the store, inhaling the various scents. Just as he had suspected, they smelled exactly like the girl. He looked back at her, memorizing her features. He was surprised to see how _serene_ she looked. Her auburn hair was piled up atop her head with a simple clip, but it gleamed crimson when she stood right by the window. Her skin was pale, but not like his chalky, dead-looking skin. It was more of a translucent, porcelain, type of pale. Her eyes were what amazed Sora the most.

They were the exact color as the person he was thinking of at the moment. Her eyes were what convinced him that she was the girl, and her father was the man he had been searching for.

As if he had been slapped in the face, Sora stumbled backwards and his mouth fell open.

"No…"

She was the next feeder.

And he had to take her before Xemnas did. Sora shuddered as his cold, red eyes seemed to be staring right at him at the moment.

By the time Kairi had sold a few roses to the customer, Sora was found sitting casually on _her_ seat behind the counter. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter.

"Now, tell me why you're here again?"

Sora hid his current dilemma with another dazzling smile.

"I already told you; to keep you company."

Kairi groaned and slapped her face into her hand.

"No, besides that."

"That's honestly the only reason why I'm here. You look tired and lonely all the time, even when that peppy girl is here."

Kairi gave him a blank stare.

"This is only your second time seeing me."

Sora shrugged, the sapphire eyes behind his long lashes shining innocently.

Finally deciding to surrender, Kairi allowed Sora to sit by the cash register as she started to water the plants. It was until she had turned around when she realized Sora was right behind her, following every move.

"Why do you keep following me?!"

"I want to help," he said flatly.

Kairi placed the silver water can she was holding by her foot and looked straight at Sora.

"Look, I'm here to work. I get _paid_ to work. And I'm living for work!"

Kairi jammed a finger at Sora's chest, wincing in pain when she realized how _hard_ it was. She shook it away and gave Sora her "mean face" again.

"And _you_ are not here to work, you don't get paid to work, and I'm _sure_ you don't live for work either!"

_She sure got that right_.

"That's why I'm helping."

"Fine."

Kairi picked up the water can and jammed it against Sora. He barely flinched nor stumbled backwards.

"You water the plants."

Kairi stomped past Sora and went towards the counter. She sat on her chair and crossed her arms, her face twisted in annoyance.

Sora smirked and started to water the rest of the plants, whispering to them.

The constant one-sided argument continued throughout the morning until the clock indicated noon.

A couple of girls had been lingering, flirting and giggling with Sora and driving most of the other customers away.

That's why the brunette was back in the closet, just like yesterday.

"Ugh, stupid Sora," Kairi mumbled as she started to unpack her lunch.

She felt guilty about forcing him into the closet, but she had a lot on her mind and it was hard to think with an abnormally beautiful stranger following her around. Anger and making a fuss was the only way to get rid of him.

Blowing a few strands out of her eyes, she opened the lunchbox, her stomach begging for food.

A cold slice of steak in a pool of blood met her eyes. Immediately nauseas, she threw the raw meat aside and turned away, coughing.

What was her dad thinking?

"Is something wrong?"

"AHH!"

Kairi whipped her head around to see Sora bending over her, his face only inches away from her nose.

Blushing, she straightened herself up in her chair and shook her head.

"I'm just not hungry."

Sora looked down at the food and his eyebrows shot up.

"You eat raw meat?"

"…no. I'm not some lion, Sora."

It felt weird saying his name. Sora.

"May I have it then?"

Kairi stared up at him in disbelief.

"_What?_"

"Maybe _I'm _a lion," the boy replied as he picked up the food. He took the fork next to Kairi without permission and went back towards the closet.

"Plus, I'm a _vampire_, remember?" Sora reminded Kairi with as much sarcasm in his voice as possible.

It was risky, yes. But a vampire would never tell anybody that they're a vampire, right?

"Ah ha ha, very funny," Kairi said. She hadn't forgotten yesterday's incident.

"Just kidding."

Kairi raised a brow as Sora turned on his heel and marched towards the door. He indicated the dumpster across with the meat and flashed a quick smile.

He was going to throw it away.

But as soon as Sora was out of Kairi's field of vision, he tore the meat with his teeth and sucked the cold blood out of it.

It wasn't fresh, but it was still delicious.

He snapped the lunchbox shut and headed towards the flower shop again.

But that was before the truck hit.


	6. Dumpster Truck

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

_**S**_olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** I wish.

**Sigh**. I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner.

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Sora

* * *

-- - - Chapter Five - --

+_And He fed upon the feeder_+

* * *

-_Kairi_-

Boom!

Surprised, Kairi jumped in her seat. Her eyes instinctively focused outside the window. Something had crashed, or exploded. Curiosity pulled her off the chair and dragged her to the scene of the accident.

As she opened the glass door and peered outside, she gasped and her hands started to shake.

The garbage truck that came by every Saturday was capsized, its large wheels slowly turning in the air.

And Sora was standing right in front of it, unscathed. His eyes were shut tight and his mouth was a thin line as if he thought the truck will come alive and squish him flat any second. His knuckles were whiter than his pale skin as his fingers were tightly holding onto the lunchbox.

Gulping, Kairi ran over to the boy and looked him up and down.

"Are you hurt?"

He blinked open his eyes and stared at her. Kairi caught a slight gleam of disbelief, then a flash of relief adorned his face. After that, Sora looked troubled as he looked back at the truck, but it didn't seem like it was because of the accident. Kairi stared at the blinking rear lights of the truck. The two of them stood like that for a while, speechless. The boy surprised Kairi when he suddenly took off to the front of the truck. She stumbled after him, wondering what Sora was up to. After all, he hadn't said a single word.

As she rounded the corner of the truck and faced the front, she let out another gasp.

The bumper was bent inwards, crushing the whole front part of the vehicle. The windshield was helplessly shattered and bits and pieces of glass showered around it. Although all this made the girl speechless, Kairi couldn't believe how the bent metal took the shape of Sora. Her eyes wide, she frantically turned to him for an explanation.

"D-did it hit you?"

No duh.

"I think I hit it first," Sora replied, his throat dried.

Kairi remembered Sora getting hit by her bike. It was probably one-tenth of the garbage truck. How could a small bike like hers knock down a person who was able to withstand a dumpster truck? She looked at Sora with a scrutinizing eye.

She raised her brows in shock when she saw that his lips were slightly red, and his left cheek was dotted with the same shade of color.

"Sora, what did you do to that raw meat?"

The brunet ignored her as he pulled his hood over his face and ran towards the driver's side of the truck. He grabbed the door and jerked it off its hinges.

"We must take him to the hospital," Sora said under his breath as he dragged the unconscious driver out of the seat. He flung him over his shoulder and started to run towards Destiny's Hospital.

"W-wait for me!" Kairi shouted.

But he was already out of ear shot with his fast, long legs.

Her hands trembling, Kairi staggered towards her bike and climbed onto it with some difficulty. She followed Sora's route without bothering to lock the shop.

**+Sora+**

The truck had come out of no where. If the scent of blood hadn't distracted him, he would've been able to sense it from a mile away.

But no. He had to be a total idiot and allow it to hit him.

A string of profanity fled his lips as he stared at what his body had done to the innocent vehicle; it had hit his body and flipped backwards, its rear facing him and its wheels still turning towards heaven, like a dying beetle. He should've at least tried to jump.

To make matters worse, the girl came running out of the shop. He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as she got closer and closer to him.

There was no way he was going to be able to explain this.

He waited for her accusations, her complaints, her "are you a vampire" questions, but she never hurled those piercing words.

Instead, she asked, "Are you hurt?"

Sora nearly choked on his tongue as his eyes snapped open and whipped towards her direction. He quickly regained his posture and shook his head. Not able to look into her curious, frightened, jewel-like eyes, he faced the truck instead. Sora was able to see her doing the same out of the corner of his eyes. Trying to formulate some sort of excuse, he kept his eyes glued to the truck... until the thought of the driver occurred to him.

Cursing under his breath, Sora ran to the front of the truck, but the state it was in stopped him in his tracks.

Kairi followed after him and gasped as soon as she laid her eyes on the vehicle.

The shape of his body was imprinted onto it, and the glass had completely shattered into a million pieces.

"D-did it hit you?" Kairi stuttered.

"I think I hit it first," Sora replied without thinking.

There was a moment of a silence until Kairi said, "Sora, what did you do to the raw meat?"

Sora stiffened, but was careful not to show it. Choosing to ignore her words, he pulled his hood over his locks and continued to do what he had intended in the first place; save the driver.

Not being able to think clearly, he flung the door off its hinges like an idiot and jerked the man out of his seat; he didn't have his seatbelt on, for who would have thought a dumpster truck can overturn?

"We must take him to the hospital."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Sora threw the man over his shoulder and started to sprint down the street that led to the hospital in an idiotic manner, again, unaware of the fact that he was what people called a monster...

...No one can run thirty miles an hour with a full-grown man over his shoulders.

Sora thought he heard a small voice calling out to him, but it could have simply been the wind.

_+Kairi_&**Sora**_-_

"W-what happened to him?"

"Car accident," Sora said briefly as he laid the man on the stretcher.

The driver's face was nearly unrecognizable behind the blood smearing over his jaw line, cheeks and forehead. His white t-shirt was shredded open, revealing his bloodied torso. All the doctors and nurses surrounding him couldn't help but flinch. Sora's face was pinched in what seemed like disgust.

But that wasn't the case at all.

The temptation was unbearable. His lips were shut tight over his two, dangerous, venom-covered fangs, which were unsheathed and ready.

He had been holding his breath the entire way to the hospital, but his cold skin still felt warm from the man's blood.

Disgusted with himself, Sora left the room and headed towards the lavatories.

He ignored the weird stares he received from the patients in the waiting room. After all, he was an adolescent dressed head-to-toe in black with blood staining most of the back of his body. But was used to it, mainly due the way he dressed. The terms "emo" and "goth" were commonly thrown towards his direction, although he had no idea what they meant until a few years ago. It had, indeed, offended him greatly, but he was immune to the insults now.

As Sora arrived at the door to the bathroom, a shuffling of feet and a rolling stretcher stopped him as they rushed by. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the florist uniform.

Forgetting all about cleaning up, he easily caught up to the nurses. His eyebrows knitted in worry as he looked down at Kairi lying on the stretcher, a deep gash running along her cheek. Her throat and wrists were bruised; she was obviously assaulted.

"Where did you find her?" Sora asked the nurse to his right.

"Someone called us over. They told us she fell off her bike. She was next to the book shop."

"The one near the flower shop?"

The nurse nodded before she disappeared with the others in the emergency room.

"Sora."

The brunet whipped his head around, surprised. There were only a few individuals who knew his name.

A blond greeted him with an awkward smile. His piercing blue eyes seemed to laugh as he crossed his arms across his chest. He was dressed in tattered jeans with a grey t-shirt, otherwise known as "normal clothes."

Sora clenched his teeth as his hands balled into fists.

"How did you find me?" He paused as he took in the incomer's clothes. "And what happened to "be proud of who you are,"?"

"It's called a disguise," the blond replied, his voice as smooth as silk. "Plus, black makes us more conspicuous, don't you think? I mean, look at you. Your clothes make you look even paler."

"Shut up, Roxas," Sora mumbled.

Roxas laughed.

"So I'm still worthy enough to be called by name, I see."

"You're the one who hurt Kairi."

Sora's twin stopped laughing, but his smile was still on his face.

"Kairi? You mean that human girl? What, you're calling them by their names now?" he asked in mock disbelief.

Sora ignored him. "I'm not letting you take her."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to take her to Xemnas."

Roxas's smile faded.

"So it's true. You have completely detached yourself from your father."

"I'm not feeding Xemnas humans' blood, Roxas."

"Stop calling father by his name," Roxas snapped.

"It's not right. Didn't you hear what Xemnas said? He is going to _kill _us! He's going to kill the one who fails to bring him the girl!" Sora shook his head. "I'm not like you, Roxas. I'm not a murderer."

The twins were silent for a while, letting the last word settle in. Even a cold-hearted person like Roxas was ashamed to admit the fact that he was, indeed, a murderer.

"It can't be helped, Sora," Roxas said softly. "I don't want to die."

Sora glared at the blond.

"But you're not even living, Roxas."

Not being able to give a proper response, he said, "I'm still taking her, Sora. Do whatever you want, but don't expect me to help you."

With that, the blond turned and left the hospital.

Sora clenched his teeth in frustration and punched a nearby wall, the wood splintering helplessly under his gloved fist. Before people turned his way, he swiftly walked out of the hospital. He would come back later at night to check on the girl.


	7. Sinful

-- -- -- -o- -- -- -

_**S**_olstice

-- -- -- -o- -- - --

By: oathk33p3r

**Disclaimer:** I wish.

**OH MY**. I couldn't concentrate with my computer going RRRRRRRRRRRR!

**C**haracters

-Kairi  
-Sora  
-Roxas  
-Mr. Narumi

* * *

-- - - Chapter Six - --

+_Beware_+

* * *

**+Sora+**

"You may come in now."

A nurse dressed in a clean, white dress with a clipboard clutched to her breast stepped aside from the door. On another day, the faint sound of warm blood pulsing through her veins would've made Sora lose his lasting sanity, but this wasn't another day. He was obliged to finally get up the stiff, plastic chairs of the waiting room. The sun had set long before, and the parking lot was nearly empty.

Sora gave the mousy nurse a small nod and went inside the small, composed room. Like the halls, the floor was white and polished to the point where he was able to see his worried, blue eyes look back at him.

He advanced towards the only bed in the room with swift and silent strides. After making sure that the bandaged human was the girl he had been waiting for, Sora sat himself on the stool by the head of the bed.

Despite the fact that her neck was bruised and nearly half her face was strapped in bandages, Kairi's breaths were slow and even. Anger surged through his body again as he recalled the argument he had with Roxas a few hours ago. He could've dashed off with Kairi if he wanted to, but he simply hurt her to see Sora's reaction. Now that he confirmed Sora's connections with the human, Roxas was surely going to kill Kairi the next time they crossed paths.

After fuming over Roxas, Sora calmed down and focused on Kairi again. He decided to describe her as almost angelic and peaceful. Her hair was free from the clip she usually used to bind her hair together on the back of her head, making them flow past her heart-shaped face and down to her shoulders. A few strands were covering her face.

Before he knew it, Sora was tenderly brushing the auburn hair away from the girl's closed eyes and gently tucking it behind her ears. Her eyelids slightly flickered at the touch and she moved her head towards Sora's hand before continuing to sleep soundly.

Surprised, but not shocked, he moved his hand away from her face and brought it to her wrist instead. He took her thin, bruised wrist and put it by his ear.

It played a melody of "lubs" and "dubs." After a few moments of listening to the rhythm of Kairi's heartbeat, Sora realized that he was being pulled in by the temptation of evil and roughly pulled his hands away from the girl. Disgusted by himself, he got up from the seat and marched towards the door.

But a faint voice stopped him.

"Don't leave me," it whispered.

Sora turned around and rushed back to Kairi's side.

She was still asleep, but her pulse was faster and her breathing wasn't as soft as before. After thinking things over, Sora slowly sat back down on the seat and tentatively patted Kairi's hand.

"Shh, everything will be all right," he murmured with such softness that one would've thought he was speaking to an infant.

He could've sworn that those soft, rosy lips turned up in a small smile.

Sora leaned over and got a closer look of the girl's face. Humans were so vulnerable when asleep; the last time he slept was the day before he turned into the monster he was now. She was an islander, yet she didn't have a single trace of a freckle on her nose and cheeks; her skin was even clearer and smoother than he thought.

His eyes memorized every line and curve of Kairi's face. This human interested him in a way that was different from anything else he had experienced before. He didn't want to know how her blood would taste on his tongue, he didn't want to know how long it would take to drain all the blood out of her, he didn't want to know how long she would take to die…no, none of these evil questions that usually filled his mind upon the thought of forbidden, human blood came across him.

He wanted to know what made her smile so sweetly, just like she did a few seconds ago; he wanted to know her favorite things in the world and the things that made her angry; he wanted to know everything about her.

He had gotten so close that his eyelashes nearly brushed against her cheeks. He felt like he was hit by a sledgehammer when he inhaled the sweet, warm scent of Kairi. The pair of dangerous knives immediately slid out of his gums and demanded his lips to part. Saliva welled up under his tongue and his fingers dug into the side of the bed.

_No…_

This wasn't what he wanted. He tried to fight back those treacherous fangs, but they seemed to tug his mouth closer to the curve of Kairi's neck. His knuckles turned whiter than his skin as he tried to stop, but he couldn't.

The temptation was too great.

His lips grazed on the flesh of the girl's throat, and then he pulled back with all the willpower he managed to scrape up.

It was just a kiss.

A small kiss, nothing sinful.

**-**_Kairi_**-**

The familiar bell tinkled softly as the door swung open, bringing in a warm gust of wind from outside.

Kairi was too nervous to notice. After speeding after Sora on her bike for a few blocks, she realized that she left the shop unattended and had to rush back. She planned on going to the hospital once Selphie returned, which was in half an hour.

"Aren't you supposed to greet me with 'hello, welcome to Flowers for Destiny'?"

Kairi snapped her head up and nearly fell off her chair. She was surprised to see that it was the albino stranger from a few days ago.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice you came in, sir. May I help you?"

The customer, who had been bending over a few bachelor's buttons, straightened up and turned around to face Kairi. He plucked one of the small, blue-violet flowers and gave her a smile that reminded her of a full moon hiding behind wispy clouds of fog.

"God must have painted this with the same color as your eyes," he said while twirling it in his fingers.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?" she asked, ignoring his comment. She held back on some of the sweetness this time.

"You're a florist. Surely, you must know what each of these flowers mean, am I right?"

Yes, he was right; she had studied every single flower before bringing them into the shop. The one he was holding meant "single blessedness," but of course she didn't say it out loud.

The stranger smiled as if he read her mind and continued.

"Well, I'm looking for a bouquet of begonias. Please make sure they're not bruised or anything; I want them to be perfect for a special someone."

Kairi quickly went around her shop and gathered a dozen, full-blossomed flowers with white petals that seemed to have been dipped in faint red. She always thought they looked like ruffled dresses, and preferred them to the classic roses. The petals seemed to have no beginning or end.

After wrapping the bouquet in plastic and tying the flowers with a red ribbon, she charged the stranger fifty munny and finally sent him off. The cash register clicked open and she dropped each orb into its proper slot.

Instead of counting five large yellow and blue orbs, she counted seven.

"Oh, no," she gasped. She pocketed the twenty extra munny and barged out of the store. She climbed onto her bike for the third time that day and pedaled after the customer.

Luckily, he was by the nearby bookshop, flipping through one of the new releases displayed outside the shop. The bouquet of begonias was tucked under his arm.

"Sir, you forgot your change!" she exclaimed.

But suddenly, Kairi couldn't see the stranger anymore; in fact, she couldn't see anything at all.

And then she couldn't feel anything either.

At one moment during her time in the dark, she saw Sora's soft, blue eyes looking down at her. But after a few second, they were gone. She screamed after him several times, hoping that he was able to hear her. Unfortunately, she didn't see him again, but felt his soothing voice caressing her body within seconds after her cry. She wasn't so scared of the dark anymore.

"Kairi," a voice called out to her.

Kairi stirred awake and was blinded by the light flooding into the room through the opened window.

_Sora?_

After her eyes had adjusted, she turned to see the man hovering over her.

It was her most favorite face in the world.

"Dad!"

She got up and wrapped her arms around the neck of her father.

"Honey, I was so worried. I heard you got hurt and rushed over as soon as I could. Are you all right now?"

Kairi giggled at her father's concerned expression.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Besides being extremely hungry, I'm fine, Dad."

Her father didn't seem convinced, but loosened his grip on his daughter's shoulders. He gave a wry smile and stroked Kairi's hair.

"Thank goodness. I thought you would never wake up," he said softly.

Kairi raised a brow in confusion.

"How long was I asleep?"

"It's been nearly three days now," he answered.

As her father explained, Kairi looked around the room she had been in the past few days for the first time. There was evidence proving that someone had been living here for a while. A sleeping bag was tossed in the corner, a few bottles of water were on the stand next to the bed, and a pile of magazines was stacked by the door.

"Daddy…you've been here with me the entire time?" she asked.

Her father's face immediately fell and he coughed a few times into his sleeve.

"Um, about that…" her father's eyes seemed to fill with unreasonable guilt.

"I just came back from Radiant Garden this morning. I had…business to attend to. It was on such a short notice that I didn't have time to tell you, honey. I'm really sorry. If I had known earlier, I would've come back sooner."

"Oh, I see…"

Kairi looked back at the pile of magazines. Her father followed her gaze and then turned back to face his daughter.

"About that, a kid named Sora's been around. He never left your side. I told him to go home and rest up a bit." After a brief pause, he carefully asked: "Are you dating him, Kairi?"

Kairi's mouth fell open and she gave her father an incredulous look.

"Dad, you know that I won't be dating anyone until I move out. Do you really think I would break your promise like that?"

Her father looked flustered as he coughed a bit more and squirmed in his seat.

"No, it's not that, honey. I was just worried and wanted to make sure. I mean, I'm not saying that he's a bad guy; in fact, he's quite a gentleman from what I see."

He sure got that right.

"But you can never trust guys before you're married, Kairi. One moment they can be a rabbit and then turn into a monster the next. Especially when-"

"Dad, please don't start the don't-have-sex talk with me again. First of all, I'm not stupid. Second of all, I'm not dating him. Third of all, I hardly even know the guy."

Kairi plopped back onto the small, hospital bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

_Why was Sora by her side the past few days?_

"Oh, and you got a bouquet from someone; I put them in a vase for you."

Kairi turned her head to see a vase of flowers she hadn't noticed before.

It was obvious that the flowers were maltreated, judging by the bruised petals.

"I found them stuffed in the trashcan."

Kairi reached out and touched the tender, white and red, ruffled dresses.

They were begonias.


End file.
